


Mirror Image

by Frostywhitewolf



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-01-09 04:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12268680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frostywhitewolf/pseuds/Frostywhitewolf
Summary: After a confrontation with his father, Reco Frostbolt decides to flee his home, leaving behind his brother and the Umatatsu, an old race of ponies with both dragon and animal traits. He then faces a new world that is completely opposite to the one he was raised in after meeting new friends living outside of the Everfree Forest. With their guidance, he learns about more about the world outside, all while learning more about his heritage and himself. He soon realizes that his internal problems are not the only thing he will have to face, as trouble originating from his former home looms ahead.





	1. Prologue

   Raindrops fell and landed on the ground with loud, crackling sounds echoing through the messily carved cavern halls of a mountain that was far from any civilization. Several pony-like creatures with both dragon and animal-like traits resided within, listening to the roars and yells that drowned the dripping sounds of the rain. As the younger ones quivered in fear, the adults simply huddled them closer to them. They all flinched at the cries of pain that belonged to a small colt that lived in one of the upper caves within the mountain. The ponies remained quiet, to avoid the anger of the roaring creature above. It was obvious to them who did those cries belonged to, which lead to their decision to keep silent. Still it made them wonder what the colt had done this time to earn the harsh punishment.  
   In the upper caves, a large dragon-like stallion with a lion-like mane and curved horns stood with his scaly wings open as he swiped one of his front paws at a small, white dragon-pony foal with wolf traits and frost blue claws, nubby horns and tiny back spines. The tiny foal was slammed to the wall, yipping in pain as he fell to the ground. The colt attempted to stand up, but due to his quivering legs, fell back to the ground.  
   “When will you cease to be a fool?! Do you not know why we stay away from those other ponies? Do you not remember the tales of our ancestors and what they did to us?”  
The small colt tried to rise from the ground as small drops of blood dripped from his face. Another foal, who had both dragon and lion cub traits, sat far from the two as he looked down at the ground. He knew his brother was definitely in trouble with their father after their argument about the so called bane of their kingdom’s suffering.  
   “What if the were afraid of us? What if they aren’t actually that bad?” The white colt answered. Two vertical cuts were visible on his face, one over each eye.  
   “Tell that to the several stallions and mares that are no longer among us. Those who are in this mountain are the remnants of our once proud kingdom. They are to blame for our disgrace.”  
   “Mom says nopony is truly bad.”  
   “Where did that get her?”  
   The colt looked down to his claw-like hooves. The stallion’s curved horns began to glow red with magic as he levitated the colt up with it.  
   “Go to your room and never speak of this again.”  
    Once free from his father’s magic, the colt ran off from the cave and into a smaller one, avoiding eye contact with his brother. A few hours since the argument and the colt’s brother entered his brother’s room. He noticed the bandages covering his facial wounds as well as the mumbling the colt was doing. The sight of his brother putting a few things on a bag gave him him an idea of what he was planning to do. As he walked over to him, His clawed hooves alerted his brother, gaining his attention for a brief moment before returning to his task.  
   “Where do you plan on going, Reco?” The colt asked as he walked over to his brother. "You know you've never been outside the mountain before."  
   “I don't care where I go, Adonis. As long as it's somewhere that is far from here,” Reco responded as he tied the small bag to a close.  
   “But one of the guards at the mouth of the cave will notice you leave. How do you plan on getting passed them? You stand out like a sore hoof.”  
   “I don’t know... I-I’ll find a way.” He flattened his ears as he continued to look for other items he had hidden around the room.  
   “Are you sure you want to leave the Umatatsu and live out there? You don't know what beyond this mountain.”  
   “I don’t want to live like this anymore!" Reco exclaimed. His small feathered wings flared open as he buried his claws onto the ground. "I don’t want any of this. It's not the same as it was when mom was here.”  
   Adonis sighed as he placed his own clawed hoof on Reco's shoulder. Reco took a deep breath as he folded his wings to a close.  
   “Just wait a little longer. Once we're older, we'll— ”  
   “I can't! Father will do everything in his power to get rid of me before my feathers fully grow in. Besides, it never was part his plan to keep me around for long. With what happened today, I wouldn't doubt he was going to try something to get me out of the picture.”  
   “Maybe if you could avoid angering him, he would leave you alone. He might even— ”  
   "As if he will!" Reco snorted. “Dad would have made sure it never happened and there’s no question about it. Just leave it at that.”  
   Adonis growled in irritation. “You’re sounding like a mule.”  
   “I’m just stating the facts.” Reco put on his saddlebags and a cloak over himself as he began to walk away. “Leaving is the best I can do, and you Know it.”  
   Adonis remained seated, flattening his ears. "Maybe there's another way, Reco"

   The large main cavern of the mountain was void of others, making it easy for the colt to climb down from his family’s cave and climb towards the exit. burying his claws into the rocks, he climbed up slowly to avoid getting the attention of the guards standing near the opening. The guards had armor and helmets, which added to their fearsome appearance. The four of them had some of their spikes on their backs and short tail and due to their bat-like traits, which made them perfect for being the night guards. Reco reached the top and hid behind a wall, waiting for the right time to make his move. Looking at the ground, he found a rock and grabbed it with his right paw. He tossed it near the guards, distracting them and began to move. He sneaked his way out but his paw got caught on a rock, causing him to fall to the ground. The guards turned to face the source of the noise and before they could act, one by one fell to the ground, snoring as they were put to sleep. He looked back to see his brother, his small horns glowing with orange magic.  
   "Now's your chance. Go," Adonis said.  
Reco nodded as he began to run once again. "Try not to be like him. You're better than that," he called out as he made his way through the sleeping guards.  
   Adonis bowed his head before returning to their cave. "And you try not to get killed out there," he whispered, turning his head back to his brother.  
   As the rain continued to soak the ground, small pools of water formed on the road and the once stable ground had become slippery. After a few minutes of running, Reco managed to reach halfway down the mountain. Gazing up to the mountain peak, he knew that he was now on his own. He then looked down at his hooves, noticing his now dirty fur and claws. It was the first time they were that dirty due to him being confined in the cavern. He felt joy at the new turn of events, proving his newly found freedom. As he was deep in thought, it distracted him from his surroundings and the roaring sound of thunder. The loud crack startled him and made him step near the edge, dislodging some of the edge of the path. as soon as it did, it caused the rest of the path to crumble and break from the mountain, taking Reco along with it. As he slipped down, he split his hooves buried his claws as an attempt to stop sliding at a quick rate. No matter how much he tried, his claws just buried itself in mud and pulled it along with him. It did not take long before he slid down the mountain. He was fortunate that there was mud at the bottom, softening his landing. He continued trotting forward, keeping an eye out for other wild creatures. At this point, he was covered with mud and a few twigs and leaves. He did not mind the mess he was covered in, quickening his pace.  
   A large creature spotted the small colt and slowly began to follow. Once it was at a good distance, it pounced over the colt with a growl. He turned to see the creature and quickly began to run at a different direction. The manticore swiped and pounced at every opportunity, which in turn was evaded by the colt. As he raced ahead of it, he noticed several bushes and unearthed roots that covered a log that lead elsewhere. Without hesitation, he galloped towards it and slipped through, leaving the manticore to claw at the roots. Due to the growing moss within the log, Reco slid through and fell into a raging river at the end. He attempted to stay afloat, despite the fact he was not able to swim. No matter how much he tried, the river pulled him under as it made him crash onto rocks and other objects caught by the current. Eventually, it became impossible for him to remain on the surface and made him sink to the bottom as he began to lose conscious.

* * *

   “Sir, it looks like the path crumbled during the night. We couldn't find any paw prints on the other end of the path," a tall, blue-grey bird-like guard informed. He flattened his ears as he continued to speak, giving a hesitant tone to his voice. "I am afraid that the young colt fell along with it.”  
   "That foolish child. He is the only one to blame for his own demise,” the lion-like umatatsu said. “Return to the cavern, there is nothing left here to do.”  
   The guard's ears perked at the his orders and cautiously step forward. "But, Sir. There could still be a chance that he—"  
   "I will not repeat myself, guard. Return to the cavern," the other umatatsu interrupted as he quickly turned to glare at the guard. His snarls and sharpened claws frightened him, making him flatten his ears as the larger of the two seemed to be keen on taking his life. Noticing the trembling of the guard, the lion-like umatatsu snorted as he turned his back on him while keeping his threatening posture. "Keep an eye on his brother and keep this under wraps. I don't want another attempt like this from any other foolish pony, you hear?"  
    The guard nodded as he stood up. As the lion-like umatatsu passed by the guard, he called out to the guard one last time. "And don't ever dare to question me me again, guard. Otherwise, he won't be the only one that loses their life."  
   The guard pulled back his head, giving an audible gulp as he looked into his eyes. "As you say, Sir."  
   The lion snorted once more as he extended his large dragon wings and jumped up into the sky. The guard looked back to the cliff before shaking off his fear. Opening up his own dragon wings, he followed behind him behind him, neither knowing that the small foal was still among the living.

* * *

  
   Reco quickly opened his eyes as he breathed heavily. Half of his body was at the shallow end of a calm river while the other half was on the round stones beside the river. His cloak was torn, wet and dirty; weighing down on him as he slowly rose from the water. Walking away from the river, he removed his cloak and shook himself vigorously to rid his body of the excess water. He looked around, searching for his things but sadly, he could not find anything. All that was near him were sooth stones and washed up branches. He flattened his ears as he realized that the river had washed away what little supplies he had and what little had remained of his past. With the cloak in his mouth, he continued to walk forward into the forest, despite the resistance his aching body was giving him. As he continued to his unknown destination, he passed several locations where wild fruit was present. Without the saddle bag that was lost in the river, he was only able to carry what he could wrap within his cloak. His white coat dulled in color and his cloak had begun to show signs of wear and tear. It was not long before he finally reached to a shallow pond, where he both cleaned up and rested for a bit. Following the same routine, he moved further and further into the dark forest, resting and avoiding the larger creatures that hoped to make a meal of him. Before he knew it, time had passed by quickly and he had managed to travel a great distance from his old home. He trekked through several locations in his wanderings earning his cutie mark along the way. He made note of different places to return to, such as a pool of water that duplicated anything that entered the water; which he only used when his food supply was running short. He eventually reached to an abandoned castle, where the now grown umatatsu decided to stay in. Spending his time reading the books he found in the castle's library he learned little about the ponies his father hated with a passion. Despite the vast collection of books, he knew they could only provide so much knowledge to a pony that never truly stepped out from his prison of a home. He resorted to keeping an eye out during his food runs, mostly due to the few ponies that actually had the courage to enter and travel through the untamed forest.   
    Every once in a while, he is reminded of his home, or what he could at least still remember from it. After a while of reminiscing, he would look down to his cutie mark and wonder about the meaning behind it. No matter how much time he spent, he never managed to reach to a real answer. Little did he realize, his answer would not come from an idea from his constant thinking, but in the form of the first pony he bumped into, who ran away from him in fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After much debate in my head (as well as with some friends), I finally post something... (Don't really know what to say other than thanks to those I constantly pestered to look over my stuff)


	2. Chapter 1: Who Is That?

   It was a calm day in Equestria as they were experiencing some peace after the defeat of Tirek. While most ponies were wandering about in the town of Ponyville, the group of six mares, who saved everyone from evil time and time again, are currently spending time at one of their members home. Said member had seen something odd in the Everfree forest the night before and was frightened by it, which led her to call her friends over. They spent the day inside, getting up to speed with what their friend had seen and trying to figure out what it was. It was not long before they gave up looking through books on odd creatures. They decided to pass the time until it was dark, which was the moment she had seen the creature.

   During this time, one of them caught up with some leisurely reading while the rest played a card game. Out of the five that were playing, two of them had already lost, and two were struggling with their pegasus friend. After revealing the cards that they each had in possession, another had lost the game. Before they could start another round, night time had arrived, which meant it was time for them to search for the creature in the forest. They made their way inside, sticking together in case it decided to sneak up on them; however, it did not change the fact that the yellow pegasus shook in fear. Despite entering several times before, she never got used to the creepy forest surrounding her.

   A cloaked figure watched over the six ponies before him, trying to figure out what they were up to. It was the first time he saw ponies in the forest during the night. The forest was dangerous out in the dark and that he himself knew well. The thought of the several creatures that lived there distracted him as he stepped on a few twigs, earning the group's attention. The second pegasus mare looked around once she heard the noise, immediately informing them of the sound. The alicorn step forward and was the first to speak.

   "Is somepony there?" She asked as she shined the light she made with her magic. There was no reply to her question.

   The hooded figure began to slowly walk away backwards, but his movements were spotted by one of the earth ponies as she saw his glowing silver eyes.

   "A'h saw somethin' move", she said

   "Where?" The pegasus asked.

   She pointed towards the bushes, guiding the alicorn to shine her light towards the blue pegasus’ direction. As a response’ the blue pegasus quickly flew to that direction, forcing the cloaked figure to start running. The rest of the group followed behind them, lights shining from both the alicorn and unicorn's horns as it lit their path. The figure turned and turned, trying to shake the blue pegasus from his trail, but no matter how fast he pushed himself to be, the blue pegasus was still capable of keeping up. Even the tree branches were not discouraging her to continue following him. He soon quickly came to a stop as he was a hoof away from a large river. Just as he was about to run in a different direction, the blue pegasus bumped into him due to his sudden stop, causing him to fall into the water. Seeing the figure being pushed by the current, the pegasus quickly flew over him and reached her hoof out to him

   "Grab on!" She called, gaining his attention.

   The figure extended his clawed hoof and grabbed onto her hoof. She began to pull him to safety at the edge of the river and let go of him once he was out of the water. The rest of the group caught up with the two of them and noticed the figure sitting on the ground as he caught his breath.

   His cloak was washed away, revealing his identity. His head resembled that of a pony except for the ears, the black wolf nose, his silver dragon eyes and pair of frost blue horns between his ears. Said horns curved down and up behind his head. He had two vertical scars on his face, one over each eye. His fur and mane were white, the front part of his mane was spiky, some curving down and the rest curving upward. After the upward curve, his mane flowed back jaggedly and curving upwards once more at the back of his head. The rest followed upwards. His scaly, frost blue underbelly and his clawed hooves were visible as well. The frost blue claws covered most of his toes on all four of his feet, including the thumbs on his front feet, nearly resembling hooves.  His grown feathered wings covered his sides. Instead of the usual tail a pony had, he had a dragon-like tail with white fur at the end of it. Dull, frost blue scales ran from the bottom of his mane to his tail, having space between each one. His cutie mark was a dark grey shield with a light blue and yellow yin and yang symbol over it.

   After shaking off the excess water from his fur, he looked up to notice the group staring. He tucked his tail between his legs as he flattened his ears. Silver eyes darted back and forth, keeping an eye on them. He then noticed the orange earth pony began to walk towards him, making him take several steps to the side. She ceased to move after noticing how closely he was to the river and fearing that he would fall into it once more. The stallion looked to the side and quickly looked back to the group, feeling uneasy due to his predicament. Before he could think of an escape route, a voice began to speak.

   "Hey there, it’s okay. We ain’t gonna hurt ya.” The orange mare called. She could tell that he understood her words, for he slightly lifted his left ear. “Are ya hurt?”

   "Uhh… No… I'm fine, thanks for asking," the stallion responded in a hesitant tone. “I- I don’t mean to intrude but, why are you here? N-not that it’s a bad thing. Ponies rarely come through here, especially in the n-night.”

   "Well… You sorta gave mah friend here quite a scare yesterday,‘ She stated as she pointed to the yellow pegasus that was standing behind her friends. “She came and told us she bumped into some scary creature. A'h guess she meant you." 

   He looked over and noticed her shivering. He seemed to attempt to make himself smaller, lowering his head in "I-I'm sorry!" He called out. "Didn't m-mean to scare you! You came out of n-nowhere and, w-well..." THe rest of his sentenced became a barely audible mumble.

   "Then, why did ya run off?”

   "I-I thought you were going to hurt me."

   "Now what made ya think that?"

   "My father once said that regular ponies like you all never truly got along with our kind. We seemed too threatening  and… well...I guess he managed to embed some fear of you in me before I left."

   "And what are you doing out here? This place is dangerous at night,” the alicorn stated.

   "A-after living here a while, one gets used to the creatures here.” The stallion sat as he fixed his feathered wings and composed himself better. “A-and, to answer your question, I live here. No one dares to enter here unless it's necessary because of the weird stuff here, which makes it a good place to stay out of the way and out of sight."

   "But, don't you get lonely out here? There isn't anypony to talk to here," the pink earth pony asked.

   "I got used to it. Besides I look like a more scary draconequus than a pony.”

   “Yet, you’re small compared to one and, I’ve never seen a pony like you.”

   “Oh, that… I’m an Umatatsu pony. Though, others used to refer to us as Dragon-ponies at times.” His ears flattened once more as he looked down to his hooves. “Or at least… They used to.” He stood from his spot and looked to the group. " So... Now that you know it was me, I-I guess it's time for you girls to go back where you came from."

   The alicorn looked up, noticing the moon being a quarter away from reaching the top of the sky. “So it seems. It was a pleasure to meet you…”

   “Reco, Reco Frostbolt."

   "I guess we forgot to introduce ourselves. My name is Twilight Sparkle. and these are my friends. The yellow pegasus with the pink mane is Fluttershy. The white unicorn with the purple mane is Rarity. The pink earth pony with the curly pink mane is Pinkie Pie. The orange earth pony with the blonde mane and brown hat is Applejack and the cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane is Rainbow Dash."

   "Nice to meet you all. Do you need directions or do you have that covered?”

   “I think we have it covered but thanks anyways.”

   “Then I'll make my way to the ruins. I still have some books to read before going to bed."

   "Wait. You have been staying at the castle ruins?"

   "On most occasions. I sometimes sleep in some caves around here when I walk a bit too far from the ruins. It is better to be indoors than outdoors around here after all, with all the odd animals in here."

   "You do have a point. Well, until next time."

   The rest of the group waved at Reco, who nodded before running back to the forest. After he left the rest made their way back to Fluttershy’s home. Once they did, they each said their goodbyes and one by one split up to return to their respective homes. Once she arrived at her castle, Twilight sparkle knocked at the door to reveal a small purple dragon with green scales on his back as it opened.

   "On hey Twilight. How did it go? Did you see what Fluttershy was scared about?" He asked.

   "Yes, and I'm surprised of what it was" Twilight answered as she entered. She made her way to the library as the small dragon followed.

   "An Ursa Major?"

   "Nope."

   "An huge timber wolf?"

   "Not even close." She had arrived to the library and took out a quill, a jar of ink and a piece of paper from a closet in the room with her magic and set it on a table. She started to write some words on the paper as the little dragon continued to ask her questions.

   "Then, what was it?"

   “It was a Umatatsu.”

   “A what now?”

   “An Umatatsu. They haven't been seen since the pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies united. They look like ponies but have dragon-animal hybrid features too. The are hardly any books about them, and the few that prove their existence are in too poor condition to fully understand.” She finished writing and rolled the paper, putting a ribbon around it. “Spike, I need you to send this message to the princesses. This is an important find that they have to know.”

   The small dragon received the message and blew green fire at the paper. The smoke soared out the window.

   “Are you sure that's a good idea? What if they wanted to be left alone?”

   “He is from a race that disappeared years ago. He might know what may have become of them since their disappearance. It's not everyday that an ancient race resurfaces after several years. Who knows what mysteries can be uncovered with his arrival.”

   “Then you could have asked him about it instead. Like I said, what if he wanted to be left alone?”

   Before she could respond, a message appeared on the desk the same way the first left. The small dragon opened the message and read the contents of it.

   “What does it say?” Twilight sparkle asked.

   “Dear Twilight sparkle, I have read your message and I am surprised to hear that you have met an Umatatsu. Their race had long since disappeared and to hear that one has appeared is good news. I write you this letter to tell you that my sister and I will be attending the festival at the end of the month. We hope that we can meet him. Maybe you learn a little from him as he learns a little about Equestria as well. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.”

   “They'll be coming here? I have to make a list to prepare, not to mention figure out how to bring him here. How are we going to do that? Will we even convince him to do so?” Twilight sparkle began to jog around the room, gathering parchment and ink as her breathing quickened.

   “Calm down, it's alright. We can figure it out tomorrow. We do have this month to figure it out.”

   Twilight took several deep breaths before calming down from her nervous state. “You're right Spike. We don't want a repeat of last time.”

   Spike placed his small, clawed hand on her shoulder. With a small smile, he spoke once more. “Good. Now, let’s go to bed and we’ll deal with this tomorrow, okay?”

   “Okay, goodnight Spike, And don't stay up too long with your comics.”

   "Yeah, Yeah."

As Spike stayed behind in the library, Twilight sparkle went to her room. Once she got there, she made mental notes of the preparations of the festival. The thought of the princesses attendance made her worry, including the fact of getting the dragon-pony to come out of his sanctuary to walk around with the other ponies. It did not take long before her thoughts slowly drifted her slipped into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins... It might be a bit short but with school and making art for the chapters, I'm thinking a one-week-chapter-one-week-no-chapter pattern would work for now. So for this sticking with this story, thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 02: Getting to Know You

   Silver dragon-like eyes opened as it slowly adjusted to the lighting of the room, taking in the rays of sunlight that passed through the holes of the ceiling. Reco lifted his head and groaned as he stretched on the stone floor. The sound of clicking from his joints echoed the empty room, reminding him of his poor choice of sleeping arrangement.Shaking off what was left of sleepy daze, he made his way out of the room and into the long hall.

   As he walked, Reco took note of the chores he had done the day before and making a list of what to do.

   “ _Let's see. I scavenged the few berry bushes nearby, yesterday and some edible plants near the edge of the forest. Though, I doubt it will last me the week so, I think another round of scavenging wouldn't hurt_ ,” he thought.

   Looking over to his right, he noticed the broken, colored windows that covered the wall. The sight of the blue sky and white clouds brought him a calm state of mind. Despite the dangerous creatures that inhabited the forest, he could not deny the fact that the forest was also an amazing sight to see. The sound of birds and the whistling wind were good when he needed a song to sleep to, even though he had found a solution to that problem years ago.

   Just as Reco was about to open the door to exit the castle ruins, a strong knock was heard from the opposite side. Raising an eyebrow, Reco opened the door to reveal Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn he had met a few days before. She carried a saddle bag with her cutie mark as the clip. Her eyes were wide open as she noticed him behind the open door.

   “Oh, that was fast,” Twilight stated as she composed herself.

   “Well, I uh... I was about to head out for my usual routine. So, is there something you need?” Reco responded as he tilted his head slightly.

   Taking a seat, she cleared her throat as she answered. ”Well, I was wondering if you could come to a party later this month. It'll be great if you did. You can get to know more about the town and the ponies that live there while acquainting yourself with the town.”

   Reco sat down as he placed a clawed, paw-like hoof on his chin. “I'm not really sure if I should. I don't look like much of a regular pony and I might scare some of the residents with my appearance.”

   “I'm sure that they won't mind the way you look. They are pretty accepting once they get to know you.”

   He ran his hoof through the back of his head, scratching it as he thought. “I'm not much of a social type but I'll uh... think about it. Is that all you needed?”

   Twilight scratched her cheek, thinking carefully in her choice of words. “I was hoping if I could ask you some questions about the Umatatsu. If you don't want to it's fine but it has been a long time since anypony have ever seen one and it would be a good to learn about them from one.”

   Reco’s eyes opened wide as she spoke the last of her sentence. “Oh, um… sure. I guess it's fine but… can we do this outside? I have to collect berries and such for the week and... well... it would be hitting two birds with one stone that way.”

   Giving a small smile, she nodded in agreement as she removed a notebook and quill from the saddle bag. Following behind him, she asked question after question, keeping Reco on his toes during his answers. They ranged from basic history to adaptations for their living conditions. He did his best to answer them fully but, most often kept quiet due to having lack of knowledge on the topic. As the questions continued, he collected wild fruits and vegetables, along with the occasional herb. Doing so piqued Twilight's interest about his knowledge on the topic.

   "Oh, mint leaves. Are you planning on making something with them?"

   "Not really. I keep it around i need a remedy for something," Reco responded as he stuffed the subject in question into his bag.

   “I assume it was to digestion complications,” Twilight stated as she wrote on her notebook.

   He nodded at her response. “I would sometimes get sick, so I chewed on plants that I remembered my mother telling me about. Due to the food I had back where I came from, I needed to have mint around me at all times.”

   "Why is that? Did you not like the food there?"

   “Not exactly. Let's just say, the choice in what they would eat wouldn't sit well with my stomach, and I had to have something that prevented me from chucking out what took so long to eat.”

   “I see... Could you have chosen not to eat whatever was making you sick?”

   Reco stopped moving as he spotted some fruit on a tree. Climbing up to its branches, he responded to her question. “No, not really. Said… food item is a must for them, and not eating it would be a sort of disrespect to the hunt- I mean uh... scavengers. And with what little I usually got from them, I couldn't afford to not eat the scraps. So, my brother and I lived with the issues, since he's like me when it comes to that, though he has a better tolerance for it. Eventually, he ended up having to hide mint leaves around the cave when I got a stomach issue.”

   “That was very nice of him,” Twilight commented as she wrote every word he spoke. She then circled and underlined the interrupted word she jotted down during his explanation, planning to go back to it later in the castle library.

   Reco smiled as he picked the fruits. “He always was, just like mother.” 

   Looking back to the odd stallion above her, she noticed Reco flatten his ears for a split second, before straightening up again.

   “Touchy subject?”

   “Somewhat… Can we avoid the subject. It's not something that I want to talk about at the moment.”

   Twilight nodded as she wrote a few things in her notebook. Looking back up to the dragon-pony, she saw him move carefully through the branches. Despite having wings, it seemed as though he refused to use them. He depended more on his claws grasp and his balance on the branch than the assurance of flying to safety should he fall over.

   “How come you are not flying over to the fruit? I'm sure it would be much easier that way.”

   Reco stopped moving and curled most of his tail on the branch, allowing himself to fall forward and hang upside down before her. She jumped back due to his sudden action, but quickly recomposed herself. He gave a nervous smile as he tried to avoid eye contact as he gave her his response.

   “Would you believe me if I said I don't know how to fly?”

   Twilight opened her eyes widely as her ears perked up at his answer. "How?"

   Noticing her reaction, as Reco continued to speak. “Father never took the time to teach me, and everyone else were too busy, including my brother. Because of that… I never got to learn how to, and to be honest, I'm not surprised. I can get off the ground, let alone barely controling my magic enough to levitate objects for a brief moment. Compared to the royalty and the hoof-full of wingless umatatsu that can, the majority my kind, as well as I, are limited in their magical capabilities”

   “Surely with enough practice they can learn to use magic beyond a simple levitation spell.”

   Reco shook his head. “It's not up to us. It's in our blood. I guess it is to keep the anypony from overthrowing the higher ups.” Uncurling his tail, he allowed himself to the ground and landing on all fours. “Unless you are royalty, you have only three fates. Either you excel in both flight and battle and become Peacekeepers; excel in magic and become a Highrark; or end up as part of the workforce known as the Fallus, who dedicate their entire lives to either feed everyone or live short lives as Sculptors.”

   Twilight lifted a brow at the mentioned occupation. “Sculptors?”

   Flattening his ears, Reco faced the ground and stared at his paw-like hooves as he kicked bits of dirt and grass. “As artistic as it sounds in regular pony culture, it is not an occupation that I would impose on anypony in ours.”

   “Is it that terrible?”

   The stallion nodded as he composed himself. “Let's just say, it's not on anypony’s ‘I want to be that when I grow up’ wish list.”

   She flattened her ears as she took mental note of what he implied. “Is that why you left?”

   Reco remained silent for a brief moment before speaking. “Not entirely.”

   Twilight felt a sudden chill despite the weather being moderate earlier. She began to shiver at the sudden change in temperature, which Reco noticed immediately.

   “Anyways, I think I've collected enough food for the week. I'll just go ahead and carry it all back to the castle now.”

   “Oh would you like some help carrying it back?”

   “That would be great, if you don't mind.”

   Twilight set her notebook and quill into her saddlebag and lifted on of the bags with her magic. Both began to place the fruit into the sacks that Reco had brought along, quickly filling them with what was collected from the trees. They soon tied them up and began to make theit way back to the castle ruins with Reco carrying one on his back while Twilight levitated the other without a problem. The trip back was a short, slilent one as the sun was half way from setting. Once ther arrived, TS set down the sack in front of the large door as Reco deposited the other inside.

   “Well, I should be heading home now. The sun is about to set and I don't want to get caught by something out here at night.”

   “I could accompany you to the exit if you would like,” Reco offered.

   “It's okay. I'll be fine. Though… You don't mind if the others come and visit you. That way you can get used to being around others while we get to learn more about you.”

   “I don't know really. I don't want to bother anypony with them coming to and back into the forest. As you said, there are dangerous creatures out here.”

   “I'm sure they won't mind. After all, there is nothing wrong with having some company once in awhile.”

   Reco pondered over her words. Taking a deep breath, he shrugged as he gave his response. “If you say so. any of you are welcome to stop by when you can.”

   TS smiled as she bowed her head. “Well I'm off. See you soon Reco.” She waved at him, earning the same gesture from him. As she traversed the forest she sighed as she failed to get a response from him about attending the festival. Despite the setback, she shook her head and smiled with a sense of determination in her eyes. “ _I may not have gotten you convinced, but I'm sure that one of us will get through. I just hope it's before the festival, so we can make the necessary preparations.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the low quality image. I try to make them as clear as I can since my scanner is busted and have to take pictures of my drawings (which include the ones from the last two chapters). Until next time.


	4. Chapter 3: A Pegasus-Eye View

  The sun shined brightly as a new day was about to begin. Most ponies were either beginning their daily routines, or had yet to wake up from their dreams. Reco, who was currently on the table with his face buried in a book, was enjoying a dreamless slumber.  It had been a long time since his dreams were not plagued by a nightmare. He attempted to remain comfortable for a while, until he was rudely awoken by the sound of a book snapping shut,  which jolted him awake. Lifting his head, he stood in a defensive position as he attempted to keep his eyes open. He lowered his head and flattened his ears once he heard scratchy laughter behind him. Reco shook what was left of his drowsy state and faced the flying pegasus mare responsible for interrupting his rest.

   “You know, it's rude and inconsiderate of you to wake somepony up with loud sounds,” he informed in an annoyed tone. He then took note of his own tone, reminding him of a past experience which had ended badly for him. The memory prompted him to revert back to his nervous behavior as he spoke once more. “Though uh... I doubt that was the uhh… the intention.”

   “Not really, but it’s funny to see how you reacted,” Rainbow Dash responded as she landed on the floor. Looking over to the table, she noticed the stacks of books that had surrounded the stallion and the book that was on his face during his slumber. “You really weren't kidding when you said you were going to be here. You're giving me the idea that you're an egghead right now,” she stated as she picked up the book from the floor, setting it back on the table.

   Lifting one of his eyebrows, he tilted his head in a puppy-like manner. “Egg… head? What's that?”

   Rainbow turned back to him, staring at the stallion in confusion. ‘ _He wasn’t kidding about never stepping out of this place_ ’ she thought. Shaking away the thought she decided to ignore the question. “Uh.. You know what, forget what I said." She sat down, pondering about a subject to start with. "So... You really haven't been outside the forest at all, huh.”

   “Not since I was a little colt,” Reco responded as he stretched.

   “Seriously? How in the world did you survive out here on your own?”

   He placed a hoof on his chin as he recounted his survival tactics. Despite his small stature as a colt, he was easy to see, which made it difficult to hide during the winter. “Well... I stayed out of a predator’s view in some bushes. That and I stayed here when necessary and when I couldn't escape, I sometimes actually fought back. some of the animals here want something easy, so when their planned lunch is fighting back, they drop the chase and run off."

   Her face reflected the doubt she had over what he had mentioned. “You're kidding, right?”

   Reco simply scratched the back of his head as he gave her his response. “Only about staying out of a predator’s view. It’s not winter, so there isn’t any snow around here to help me.”

   “That I can believe. Jeez… and, how come you don't fly? You do have wings.”

   Setting his clawed hoof back on the ground, he began to kick small debris as he looked to the ground. “Well… I don't know how to exactly.”

   Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped in shock. “Seriously?”

   “There was nopony to teach me so… yes?”

   Rainbow placed her hoof on her face in disbelief. “Nope… there is no way I'm leaving things like this.”

   “Huh?”

   Her wings flared open as she spoke, making Reco flatten his ears and flinch. Her then began to speak, nearly making her voice sound as though she was scolding him. “Starting next week, I'm going to teach you how to fly. I don't care if you don't want to, I'm going to get your feet off the ground, even if it kills me.“ She crouched and began to fly in one place.

   Reco smiled nervously as he attempted to defuse the situation. “It’s not necessary, really. I mean… As much as I appreciate you trying to help me, which I do, don’t get me wrong, but... I must decline. I don't think I'm going to be cut out for fly-innnng”, Reco responded as she grabbed him and flew out the window. He continued to yell as their altitude increased. The volume of his scream lowered as they went higher.

 

   Once she deemed it a perfect distance from the ground, she stayed in place as she called to Reco, who already rolled himself into a ball and covered his eyes with his clawed hooves in fear. She could feel the stallion tremble as she held on to his arms.

   “Hey! Take a quick look at what you're missing out on!“

   “I-I don't know if I should! What if I don't like it! W-what if you drop me?!”

   “I won't, trust me!”

   Taking a deep breath, he slowly lowered his clawed hooves and opened an eye before opening both fully in a surprise manner. He had only seen the forest down on the ground, only imagining how it might be from high. Now that he was seeing it with his own eyes, it was an amazing view. The trees became smaller and was easily capable of seeing the large river that flowed near the center of it. Green expanded the majority of what the eye could see, but what caught his eye was the small buildings he could see that was a bit farther from the forest.

   “Pretty neat view huh?” Rainbow said in a knowing tone.

   The breathtaking view kept him from responding to her question immediately. “Very… And you see the world like this every day?” He looked up to see a smile on her face, reflecting her comfort being up in the sky.

   “Sometimes. Mostly when I'm practicing or doing my weather pony stuff.”

   Looking back to the forest, he thought of the years he spent at the mountain. Rarely would he see the world outside, save for the air holes that Sculptors made for each level of the caves, but even then, he would only be met with either fog or a small view of the outside. Seeing the bigger picture, he couldn't help but wonder what else was out there. Maybe something out there for him for him to look forward to.

   “Is it difficult?”

   Her thoughts were interrupted at his sudden question. “Huh?”

   “Learning to fly. Is it difficult?”

   “Depends on the pony. It wasn't for me since I'm awesome like that… You...I don't know. But I bet you'll be a great flier. Not a fast pony like me, but a great flier.”

   Taking a deep breath, Reco continued to look over his environment. Deep, growling words echoed in his mind, reminding him of the sharp claws that once held him down. “ **Do you really think you can do anything for yourself? Always a coward that hid behind others. Once they figure that out, they will leave your pitiful flank behind. And, once that happens, you will have nothing to save you from me. Nothing!** _”_

   “So, what do ya say? Want to learn how to fly?” Rainbow asked, interrupting his thoughts.

   “Huh?”

   “I said if you wanted to learn how to fly?”

   Reco shook his head, trying to forget the growling voice. “I-I don't know… I never could do the simplest things.”

   She looked down at him with a questioning look.  “You sure about that?”

   “Yes, why?”

   “Cause to me, it sounds like you're scared of something.”

   Reco looked up to the pegasus mare, giving her a confused look as she began to descend back into the castle ruins and slowly dropping him off.

   “What do you mean by that?”

   She sighed as she crossed her arms. Her voice reminded him of the lectures his father constantly gave him when he believed he did something wrong. “Look, Reco. I can tell that you will be a great flier, but you're keeping yourself from going anywhere. I don't know if it's because you are afraid to mess up, or if you think you're gonna be wasting time. Whatever it is, it's just an excuse and that’s just gonna keep you grounded.”

   Reco flattened his ears as his eyes looked away. He closed his eyes while he bowed his head and hid his tail between his legs. Rainbow noticed his behavior and discomfort. It reminded her of someone she that used to act the same way he was acting. She sighed as changed her tone to one that was a little more gentler.

   “Look how about this: If you are ready to give flying a chance, just look for me or one of my friends and say so, okay?”

   The response to her change in tone was the stallion's eyes opening in confusion. Almost as his he expected something else. Reco slowly nodded as he sat on the floor. She opened her wings and hovered in one place. “Good. I've got some things to do so I'm gonna get going. Think about what I said and let me know what you want to do.”

   Before he could answer, she soared into the sky, leaving a temporary rainbow streak behind. Reco couldn't help but feel uncertain about everything that has happened during the morning.

_“Could I really be a good flier? Can I do better than what I am right now? There are so many things that can go wrong. Things that can make them be afraid of me… Can I really avoid_ **_his_ ** _hoofsteps, even when I don't know if I am going the right way?... Or am I kidding myself and I_ **_am_ ** _like him?”_

   The sound of echoing cackles interrupted his thoughts. Seeing that no one was there, he shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he walked through the long hallway as he shook of the unsettling feeling. Looking forward, he reached his destination and opened the door that lead to a staircase. The sound of water dripping echoed its walls as he entered. He closed the door behind him, leaving him alone with the water and the subtle hint of a music box tune playing in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading a chapter every other week was a good idea. Gives me enough time to write and draw each chapter, so at least that's good. Until next time.


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